Bounty Hunter Tales: Captain Falcon
by Yoshi's Best Pal
Summary: The story of one of Captain Falcon's strangest journeys. The FZERO GX storyline with a few extra events. Slight Jody/Tanaka. Please R&R! NOTE: CLEANED UP!
1. Prologue: Black Shadow's Disgrace

_**Bounty Hunter Tales-Captain Falcon**_

DISCLAIMER: All...You know what? Screw it, you know the drill by now.

PROLOGUE-Black Shadow's Disgrace

_Black Shadow failed in his bid to win this year's Grand Prix,  
__& has now incurred the wrath of an evil villain..._

Black Shadow had to get out of there. His prized Black Bull was screaming along the track like he was trying to set a new speed record for F-ZERO machines. He knew his boss would not be happy to learn that he had failed to win this year's Grand Prix. Just then, something in the side mirror caught his eye. He looked and saw two blinding white lights: It was another F-ZERO racer. Black Shadow recognized it instantly as the Dark Schnieder, which, to Black Shadow, meant one thing, and one thing only...his boss, Deathborn, was chasing him.

Black Shadow knew that there was no outracing Deathborn. Sure enough, all too soon, Deathborn and Black Shadow were even. Their machines collided. Sparks flew everywhere from the point where the two machines were playing bumper racers. Eventually, Deathborn was able to push Black Shadow into the laser wall along the side of the track. This, in turn, caused the Black Bull to fly into the air, while the Dark Schnieder raced on ahead. The Bull somersaulted through space for almost a mile before landing upside down and skidding for about 600 feet, setting off a small fire.

Black Shadow was able to walk away from the wreck, but presently, he stumbled and fell-right at the feet of Deathborn. As Black Shadow had expected, Deathborn was really pissed, but that didn't stop Black Shadow from begging and pleading with Deathborn for one last chance.

"One more chance is all you get," came the reply. "Win this F-ZERO Grand Prix or..." Black Shadow waited, but he was turning blue, due to the fact that Deathborn had him by the throat. And then...

"...you know the price of failure," finished Deathborn.

"Yes, yes! I can win it this time," promised Black Shadow. "I swear!"

Deathborn, apparently temporarily satisfied, dropped Black Shadow to the ground, where he lay, gasping for breath. All the Emperor of Brutality, as Black Shadow was commonly known, could do was watch as Deathborn climbed back into his vehicle, started it, and zoomed away.

When he finally did get back up, he got to work fixing the Black Bull, knowing full well that if he didn't beat that meddling bounty hunter, Captain Falcon, in the F-ZERO Grand Prix coming up in three weeks, he would be facing a lot more than humiliation and disappointment...he would also be facing the last thing he ever wanted to face...the wrath of an indestructible villain who wanted to destroy the whole galaxy. That was Deathborn, a twisted soul (if he even **had** one) who ultimately wanted to turn the galaxy into dust, and if he had his way, nothing, not even the great Captain Falcon, would be able to stop him.

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Captain Falcon Trains


	2. Chapter 1: Captain Falcon Trains

CHAPTER 1: Captain Falcon Trains

_Craving another title, Falcon has  
__trained tirelessly at his base..._

It was a normal night in Port Town. Walkers walked the quietest roads. Shoppers shopped at the stores with the lowest prices, whether they were discounts or otherwise. And a few F-ZERO racers watched the big-screen 80" plasma TVs in the display window of an electronics store. All those screens showed a scene of destruction in the Lightning Area, about twenty kilometers to the south. In the forefront of the picture was the cause of all that destruction: the Emperor of Brutality, Black Shadow. He was a tall, muscular man dressed in a black demon's outfit. He was known by many to be pure evil with a single goal: to ultimately rule the universe. Little did they suspect that he was working for somebody who made Black Shadow look like Jack "Captain Falcon" Adams, who was walking up the street towards them.

Falcon saw the F-ZERO pilots in front of the window, one of whom he recognized immediately as Pico, a 120+(or so he said)year-old turtle who worked as a hitman for a big crime syndicate based out of Aeropolis. He was one of the most reckless drivers on the F-ZERO circuit, thought to have caused the gigantic crash four years prior that almost killed six other pilots and temporarily suspended the F-ZERO Grand Prix races. Dr. Robert Stewart put his medical training to use, and it was thanks to him that nobody died that fateful day. But that was then, and this was now. Falcon looked up at the same TVs that Pico and the others were watching. He saw Black Shadow and the destruction he was causing over in the Lightning Area.

_Damn_, thought Falcon. _Black Shadow's at it again._ _When will he learn?_ He set off again. When he came to an alleyway that branched off to the left, he checked to see if anyone was waching, and then turned down the alleyway and turned to his left at the end. Nobody else knew it, but this was the entrance to his base. His face was scanned, and he was cleared to enter. He did just that, and walked down the hallway to the main control room. This was also where he kept his prized machine, the _Blue Falcon_. The destruction he had seen was still on his mind, but he pushed it aside. It was time to train.

He jumped in the _Falcon_ and set it to Simulation Mode, level E. It activated, and suddenly he was on a practice track, ready and raring to get going. This simulation was the same as the sim he had done yesterday, but with a new twist: Not only did he have to complete five laps within one minute, but there were 35 capsules scattered around the course. He had to collect all of them while doing the five laps to clear this simulation.

He got the "go" signal and the _Falcon _disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He raced around the track and got 15 capsules on the first lap. As soon as he crossed the start/finish line for the first time, a message appeared on his control screen: His booster was ready. Using it, he got 19 capsules in 3.4 seconds on this lap. The third lap saw him collect the last capsule.

_That's all of the capsules_, thought Falcon. _It's just flat-out speed from here on in. _He used his booster almost nonstop from that point on. On the fourth lap, an alarm started going off.

_Almost out of energy_, he thought. _Better hit the repair strip next time around_. He sped through the arena and on the final lap, when he came around the first turn, he aimed the _Falcon_ at a purple, red, white, and blue strip along the center of the track. This was the repair strip. His booster was full by the time he reached the end of the strip, at which he checked his control screen to see how much time he had left.

_Yikes!_ he thought. There were only six seconds left on the clock. He put his boosters on full power and darted across the finish line with only 0.852 seconds left on the clock.

_Whew_, thought Falcon. _That was __too close for comfort_. He took a victory lap, and as he came to a stop just before the finish line, the simulation faded away, and he was back in the main control room of his base. The control screen read, "SIMULATION CLEAR". He jumped out of the _Falcon_. As he walked towards his TV, a notice on the pedestal where the _Falcon_ rested caught his eye. It said that F-ZERO officials were now accepting registrations for the next F-ZERO Grand Prix, which, this year, was being held in Mute City. He took a look at the TV. Black Shadow was saying, "This time the prize will be mine!", & he was laughing.

_Hell_, thought Falcon, _I don't think he'll ever learn_. He left the base for Mute City to register for the next Grand Prix. When he got to the registration office. there was a table set up with an official sitting at it.

"I'm here to sign up for the F-ZERO Grand Prix," said Falcon.

"Name, machine, & city of residence," said the official.

_I don't think I should give my real name_, thought Falcon. _That may be too much __of a giveaway for my enemies_.

"Captain Falcon. I live in Port Town, & I will be piloting the _Blue Falcon_."

"Thank you. The $300, please."

The cash changed hands.

"Thank you again. OK, you're good to go. You'll start in spot #22. The race starts at 9:00 next Saturday night."

"Thank you. I'll see you then."

Falcon left the table and went back to Port Town, knowing full well that Black Shadow would soon enter the race, if he hadn't already. That meant that this year would be his toughest race as of yet. He arrived at his base, went in, found his bed, and fell asleep almost at once.

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Goroh: The Vengeful Samurai


	3. Chapter 2: Goroh: The Vengeful Samurai

CHAPTER 2-Goroh: The Vengeful Samurai

_Falcon chases a bounty into the  
__wastes and lands in an ambush..._

Falcon was driving through Red Canyon, going after a bounty. There was no name on the card, but there was an alias: "Fire Stingray". The reward was 2,000 credits-good pay for Port Town. Or so he thought, for he didn't know that he was being led right into a trap. As he came around a turn, he saw a lot of samurai with all kinds of projectile weapons, and they were all forming a line in the path, blocking the _Falcon._

At the forefront was a man, undoubtedly the leader of all those other men, who Falcon recognized immediately as his longtime rival, Samurai Goroh. He was a-well, "portly" would be putting it mildly-man with a red bandana and a Japanese character on his A-shirt. He entered every F-ZERO Grand Prix without fail in an attempt to beat Falcon on his home turf, so to speak. Falcon stopped and Goroh moved over to the _Falcon_, yelling,

"You stole the prize money from us last time! You'll pay for that!"

_Whatever_, thought Falcon. He opened the visor, and Goroh ran his hands along the side of the machine.

"That's a fine-looking machine you're driving, Falcon," complimented Goroh.

_To each his own_, thought Falcon.

"You know the law here in Red Canyon?" Goroh asked.

_Yes, I know the law, but you're about to tell me anyways,_ thought Falcon.

"If you lose the race, you forfeit your machine."

_As you've told me a thousand times._

The gang laughed.

Falcon started up the _Falcon_, and Goroh held the blade at Falcon's throat.

"You can't back down now," Goroh taunted, coming close to threatening. "The mighty Falcon can't back down from a challenge, now can he?"

"Let's do it."

Goroh almost didn't hear Falcon accepting his challenge, but he did a couple of backflips, and then, pointing to a pair of raised flags off in the distance, said,

"All right then, the first one over to that checkpoint over there is the winner."

Goroh got in his machine, with a communicator turned on, and said,

"I can't lose in my Fire Stingray."

Chuckling to himself, Goroh started up his racer. Falcon ignored the crack. The flag was dropped, and the race was on. Rocks of all sizes were falling along the track as the two eternal rivals danced with death. More than once, the lead was traded.

At one point, a HUGE boulder almost fell on Falcon. A quick boost, however, and he was out of danger. Man and machine had passed the test.

But so, too, had Goroh and his Stingray.

Eventually, they were neck-and-neck on the final stretch. But Goroh made a wrong turn in the right direction(yes, I know that doesn't make sense) and crashed into the rock face as Falcon crossed the finish line. He staggered away from the wreck and yelled,

"Falcon, I'm gonna get you in the Grand Prix!"

_No, you're not_, thought Falcon, and he was right. The Fire Stingray exploded, and the shockwave threw Goroh, bodily, headlong into the rock face.

_Ouch. He'll need superstitches after that one,_ thought Falcon as he raced off through the canyon towards Mute City.

* * *

TBC...

Next: High Stakes in Mute City


	4. Chapter 3: High Stakes in Mute City

CHAPTER 3: High Stakes in Mute City

After dealing with Goroh, Falcon  
visits a club to try and relax...

Falcon took a good look around. He saw many lights and neon signs-par for the course for Mute City. He needed to find a club-he was quite stressed after his ordeal with Goroh, who, he was certain, would be competing in the upcoming Grand Prix. He found a club & pulled in, but he didn't see the sign:"Bet Races-CASH".

Falcon walked in and saw many familiar faces. Jack Levin greeted him as he entered, Bio Rex was gulping down an ale near the bar, and Dr. Clash was working behind the counter; this was his part-time job. He sat down and ordered a shot of intergalactic tonic (similar to whiskey) when he heard the door open. Silver Neelsen, a 55-year veteran of F-ZERO, was heading his way, yelling,

"What a scam! Bets of 2,000,000 space credits? Hah! What can I do with this 1 coin?" Just then, he bumped into Mighty Gazelle, the cyborg who had nearly died in the big crash four years prior, and the coin went flying. All eyes were on it as it rolled along the bar, and just as it started to slow down, Falcon plucked it. Neelsen went to get it and bumped into Falcon. He looked up &, in awe, said,

"You're the famous Falcon..." Falcon nodded, and Neelsen damn near had a heart attack. He gasped,

"Please, I beg of you-enter the BET race."

"Wha...? Wait a-!" said Falcon.

"Please...! Consider it an old man's last request."

"Just calm down, old man."

Just then, there was an announcement on the screen: "We will shortly be closing registration for the next race."

"The next race is going to start!" Neelsen grabbed Falcon ("Hey, where do you think you're taking me? Wait!") and dragged him to his machine. He pulled out his old racing uniform, which, as it turned out, fit Falcon perfectly. It was very colorful, and had Dr. Clash in stitches.

"Just perfect!" was Neelsen's opinion of Falcon's appearance. He got in the _Falcon_ and was airlifted to the track. It had no curves, just right angles. Eleven other racers were involved, and Falcon started in second place. Halfway through the race, there was a ten-racer pileup. Dr. Clash and Falcon were the lucky ones, but Falcon was able to pull it out by an inch, quite literally. He won over 2500 credits.

Before the race, Falcon and Neelsen had agreeed on a 50/50 split. At the winner's circle, Neelsen tosed a bag at Falcon's feet, saying,

"Here, this is your share. Take it." Falcon was about to do so when he saw Black Shadow on the screen. The automated reporter was saying,

"Once again, Black Shadow is running riot in the Lightning Area. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately. We repeat. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately." Falcon dropped the bag and the costume and ran for the _Falcon_, jumped in, started it up, and darted off toward the Lightning Area, thinking,

_Damn him. Will nothing stop him from wanton destruction?_ That was all he thought about as he approached the bridge connector to I-951.

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Challenge of the Bloody Chain


	5. Chapter 4: Challenge of the Bloody Chain

CHAPTER 4: Challenge of the Bloody Chain

_A dangerous gang challenges Falcon in his  
__quest to stop Black Shadow..._

Falcon was riding along the bidge connector to I-951 towards the Lightning Area, thinking only of Black Shadow and how to stop him. Halfway along the bridge (it was a 1,500 km-long bridge), he ran into a gang he recognized as the Bloody Chain. Every single member was driving a Wild Boar-style racer.

"The gangs..." he said.

_Michael can't be too far behind,_ he thought. Sure enough, pulling up beside Falcon was a brown Wild Boar with the driver hanging out-a black, muscular man with shades and no hair...Michael Chain. He slammed his vehicle into the _Falcon_.

"So you want to play?" Falcon said to himself. Chain laughed, saying,

"Guys! The party's just starting." Falcon fell back & started destroying the other 29 vehicles that were on this bridge, one by one. When he got to the final six, including Michael, he just pulled ahead & turned on his communicator.

"Better luck next time, Chain," he chuckled into the comm unit. Chain yelled to his cronies,

"Oh no! After Falcon! Don't lose him! Go! Go after him!" They just turned tail & ran.

"What are you doing?" yelled Chain. He followed suit, although reluctantly. Falcon threw a hand behind his head, as though brushing something away. Just then, Falcon entered the Lightning Area. It truly lived up to its name. There was no rain, but there was plenty of lightning. There was also a power plant that was smoking all over. Falcon headed for it, unaware of the danger he was about to find...

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Save Jody!


	6. Chapter 5: Save Jody!

CHAPTER 5: Save Jody!

_The Federation arrived to help out,  
only to fall prey to the villain..._

When Falcon arrived at the smoking power plant, he came across the wrecked Wonder Wasp.

_John's around here somewhere_, he thought. Sure enough, there was John Tanaka, right in front of the machine. He was in a crumpled heap, but he was alive.

"Are you all right?" asked Falcon.

"Jody's still inside the building!" pleaded Tanaka.

"Jody" was Jody Summer, named Miss Galactic Space Federation in a fashion show years ago. She was only a 3rd-year racer, but already quite skilled. She was also as beautiful as Captain Falcon himself was known worldwide.

"Wait there!" said Falcon as he drove off. He jumped the Falcon into the power plant and drove to where the core was. There was an F-ZERO racer propped up against the wall there. It was battered and badly damaged, but Falcon still recognized it. It was the White Cat, Jody's racer. And sure enough, in dead center of the core room, there was Jody, lying on the floor, badly hurt.

"Jody!" shouted Falcon as he jumped out of his racer.

"Ungh...Falcon?" she just managed to say. Falcon hoisted her up and put her in the _Falcon_. Just as they turned toward the main exhaust hatch, the main power blew. They started down the shaft, Falcon boosting the entire way. But the blast was slowly catching up to them, and the _Falcon_ was at max speed. Finally, however, they reached the end of the tunnel with the fire hot on their heels (pun intended) & gaining. But the exhaust door was just about closed.

"Hang on to something, Jody!" warned Falcon as they approached a ramp that, from the looks of things, would give the _Falcon_ just enough height and distance to get out of the vent. He aimed for the center of the ramp, flattened the boost button, and shut his eyes, braced for death.

Meanwhile, John Tanaka was standing, barely, needing to use his wrecked machine to hold himself up, praying all the while for the safe return, not only of Jody, for whom he had long harbored a crush, but also of Falcon, who was even now selflessly risking life, limb, and racer to save someone he barely knew. Had Tanaka had the presence of mind to look around, he would have noticed some trouble in the Lightning Area, right behind him. But right now, all his attention was fixed on the smoking power plant. As he watched intently, the power plant was suddenly replaced by a bright vermilion ball of flames. The explosion was massive. Tanaka was blinded by the light (& wrapped up like a deuce with another rumor in the night).

_Oh, God, please let Jody and Falcon be OK,_he thought desperately. When his vision cleared, he saw the _Blue Falcon_speeding toward him. It stopped in front of him, and a familiar feminine figure (try saying that five times fast) got out.

"John?" she said slowly and softly. "Is that you?"

"Jody!" he cried, relieved. She limped into his waiting arms.

"What happened?" he asked soothingly. "Was it Black Shadow?"

"No..." Jody struggled to answer. "Someone else...I couldn't see who it was."

"I see," mused Tanaka. "Well, at least you'll be OK."

"Correction: at least you're OK," replied Jody. As if to emphasize her point, she slowly leaned in and gave Tanaka a peck on the lips.

"Uh...OK," stuttered Tanaka, once Jody had pulled away. "Shall we...uh, get ourselves to hospital?"

* * *

While Tanaka was checking Jody over for injuries, Falcon was looking around. He saw a man in a black demon suit just running around, raising hell.

"Black Shadow..." He punched his open palm with his right fist, walked toward the _Falcon_, fired it up, & raced toward the site, thinking,

_I'm going to kill his ass come tomorrow._

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Black Shadow's Trap


	7. Chapter 6: Black Shadow's Trap

CHAPTER 6: Black Shadow's Trap

_After saving Jody, Falcon finally  
__catches up to Black Shadow..._

Falcon stepped out of his racer and looked around. It was pouring rain, thundering, lightning-the whole bit. Then he spotted Black Shadow and boldly walked towards him, stopping twenty feet from the Black Bull.

"Falcon. You've come to die? I needn't have wasted time looking for you, then!" taunted the Emperor of Brutality.

"Let's settle this at the Grand Prix," countered Falcon. "Not like this, it's the coward's way."

"The coward's way? You make it sound so noble."

_Yeah, whatever. Just shut up and go away._

"I just plan to eliminate anyone who stands between me and the prize-simple as that." While he was saying this, Black Shadow was getting ready to cast a binding spell upon Falcon. Then he laughed.

"Falcon, take this!"

Two blue bands of light shot from Black Shadow's hand and wrapped themselves around Falcon's torso, trapping his arms.

"Aargh! What are you doing?"

"Come out, Blood Falcon!" called Black Shadow, holding his hand out towards Falcon.

Blood Falcon was-yes, you guessed it-an evil representation of Falcon. He wore a purple helmet and a red bodysuit.

"Are you ready?" asked Black Shadow.

"Yeah, I'm ready," replied Blood Falcon, jumping off Falcon's racer. Falcon was lifted up and set in his racer, still struggling against his bonds.

"Farewell, Captain Falcon," said Black Shadow as he left.

Blood Falcon was saying the same thing, but he was a small bit slow. He finished with,

"You and _Blue Falcon_ can die together." Then he laughed and jumped off the racer. Just as he did, it blasted away down the track.

Falcon was still trying to break free from the bonds that held him. Finally, he managed to do so, and immediately grabbed the controls to the _Falcon_, gasping for breath. He checked the vitals screen: Everything was fine it seemed. But an alarm was going off right behind him. He turned around and saw a warning screen: Blood Falcon had attached a speed-sensitive bomb to the fuselage right behind the cockpit.

_Damn those bastards and their cheap-assed tricks! Now I'm pissed!_ he thought to himself. He checked the readout, and it showed him that the bomb would detonate if his speed, for whatever reason, fell below 800 km/h. (Cue tension theme from "Speed".)

_Son of a bitch!_ Falcon knew he was in for a twisty, winding (literally) uphill race for his life. But thanks to some super-slick driving (and a few well-executed Drift Turns), he managed to get through it intact. He was relieved-that is, until he smashed through a "ROAD CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION" sign. The _Falcon_ flew through space, wobbling and pivoting. Near the middle of the leap of faith, the top of the racer scraped the bottom of a hook that was attached to a crane. This knocked the bomb off the fuselage and into the water, where it exploded as the _Falcon_ landed safely on the other side and headed for Mute City.

The F-ZERO Grand Prix was due to start in two hours. Most of the racers would be arriving shortly. In fact, Mighty Gazelle, Dr. Stewart, Pico, Samurai Goroh, John Tanaka, Jody Summer, Kate Allen, and Michael Chain were already in their spots and waiting for the race to start. Falcon made it just in time for pre-race warm-up. He ran to the official's office.

"Ah, Falcon. Your spot is open and waiting for you," said the official.

"Thank you, sir," replied Falcon. He went back out and started doing laps around the track. Each lap told him more about what the _Falcon_ could and would do on each turn. Before he knew it, it was five minutes to race time. He went back to his spot. The stadium was packed.

_Well, here goes,_ thought Falcon. _It's time to win._

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: The F-ZERO Grand Prix


	8. Chapter 7: The FZERO Grand Prix

CHAPTER 7: The F-ZERO Grand Prix

_His death averted, Falcon visits  
__the F-ZERO competition grounds..._

"Ladies & gentlemen, the contestants," said the announcer. The Mute City crowd went wild.

"The high-flying medico-Dr. Stewart!"

Stewart gave a graceful bow and climbed into his late father's racer, the Golden Fox.

"The hitman who flies at the speed of sound-Pico!"

The turtle got into his Wild Goose and powered up.

"The Japanese warrior-Samurai Goroh!"

The crowd booed slightly.

"Huh?" grunted Goroh, not quite sure what to make of the crowd. He got into his Fire Stingray.

"The cyborg returned-Mighty Gazelle!"

Gazelle was given a nice round of applause, and climbed into his vehicle.

"The Emperor of Brutality-Black Shadow!"

Black Shadow chuckled to himself, but just as he was climbing into the Black Bull, the announcer called out the final contestant.

"And the Bounty Hunter-Captain...Falcon!"

The crowd came unglued as Falcon emerged. He waved at the fans and made a pit stop at the Black Bull.

"Well, still alive, it seems," said Black Shadow. "But I won't miss this chance to make mincemeat of you!" He laughed.

"Black Shadow! I'll show you, you'll never beat me!" called Falcon as Black Shadow sat down. After Falcon was strapped in, the announcer made the call they had all been waiting to hear.

"Ladies and gentlemen...START YOUR ENGINES!"

The crowd roared. Tension was mounting; you could cut it with a shaving razor.

The triple monitor dropped down in front of the starting grid.

"3...2...1...GO!"

They darted from the starting line and out onto the track. Captain Falcon was left behind early, but slowly he began to pass people-one by one by one. During the second lap, he was in first place when he slipped on the ice section near the start. He almost fell off the track. However, man & machine passed the test yet again.

Eventually, he and Black Shadow were bumping each other for first place. But Falcon was able to put Black Shadow upside down and win the race. As he got out of his racer, the announcer yelled, "Our champion, Captain Falcon!" The crowd exploded, and Falcon took it all in.

"The F-ZERO Committee will now present the champion's prize belt," said the announcer.

Falcon picked it up from its pedestal and held it high, for all the world to see.

Black Shadow was on all fours: He knew what was coming, but he still wasn't prepared for it. Suddenly, a being who looked like a robot with a human brain clearly visible appeared in the air above and in front of Black Shadow.

"Black Shadow!" it growled. "You failed AGAIN! You good for nothing..." With that, it pointed a finger at Black Shadow.

"NOOO! Forgive me, Lord Death-AAAAAHHHHH!" And Black Shadow disappeared.

Falcon could not believe his eyes.

"Ju-Just who are you?"

The robo-being answered him:

"I am Deathborn, the Grand Prix Champion of the Underworld!"

_Oh, crap. I've heard of this guy. He makes Black Shadow look like a teddy bear._

"Why don't you and I race each other tomorrow? Surely, as champion, you have to accept!"

And he, too, disappeared.

Everyone was in shock, even Falcon. Eventually, however, he snapped out of it, darted to the _Falcon_, and fired it up. He turned around, belt and all, and blasted away to the Underworld to face Deathborn. He knew he had to win, otherwise the "insert-four-letter-word-for-excrement-here" would surely hit the fan.

* * *

TBC...

NEXT: Secrets of the Champion Belt


	9. Chapter 8: Secrets of the Champion Belt

CHAPTER 8: Secrets of the Champion Belt

_Falcon sets out __to meet Deathborn,  
__knowing he must not lose..._

Falcon was in a deep cave, and the temperature was rising steadily. He knew the Underworld was close. Then he came upon a big door with a skull on it. It opened ominously as he approached. The light was blinding.

_Welcome to hell, Falcon,_ he thought. He was on a runway of sorts. Deathborn was near the middle, waiting with a belt of his own on his shoulder. Falcon got out and walked toward him. He was apprehensive, but steadfast.

"I've been waiting for you," said Deathborn. "Did you bring the champion's belt?"

Falcon held it up for him to see.

"Good." He lifted his own belt up, and both belts floated up into the air above. Soon, they started circling each other at the speed of light. Falcon was almost mesmerized.

"Falcon, shall I tell you something before you die?"

_I'm not going to be the one dying here, but go ahead._

"Dark and Light-the two great forces which make up our universe."

_I know that much._

"These two universal forces are condensed in each of our belts. Didn't you know?"

_No, in fact, I did not._

"At the moment when the two forces become one, it is posible to seize that power. Then, I can turn this whole galaxy into a pile of ashes in an INSTANT!"

Falcon just stared, aghast, at Deathborn as he climbed into his vehicle. This was a madman without a soul who had to be destroyed. If not, the entire universe would be annihilated.

"How I've waited for this moment," moaned Deathborn with what Falcon could only guess was orgasmic glee. "The world will fall into total darkness."

"Not if I can help it," shot Falcon sounding a lot more confident than he felt. "I'll destroy you yet!"

He jumped into the _Falcon_.

"Let's go!"

They cheated death on that track several times. Eventually, they were neck-and-neck on the final stretch. But Falcon managed to push Deathborn off the track, who fell into the magma below, yelling, "No, it can't be! How could I lose? NO!" But the racer hit the lava, and Deathborn's charred remains sank to its depths.

Falcon returned to the runway, right to where the two belts were cirling each other. Eventually, they converged to form what Falcon would come to call the Ultimate Champion's Belt. It fastened itself around Falcon's waist and glowed.

"The evil forces will never get their hands on this belt!" Falcon raised his arms to the heavens.

"I'll keep winning!"

He then jumped back into the _Falcon_, fired it up, and sped off to his home in Port Town. This had been a very strange series of events, and he wanted nothing more than to get some well-deserved, hard-earned sleep.

* * *

To Be Concluded...

NEXT: Finale: Enter the Creators


	10. Finale: Enter the Creators

FINALE: Enter the Creators

_With the Ultimate Champion's Belt  
__in hand, Falcon can relax. But..._

It was several days after the F-ZERO Grand Prix. Falcon was gearing up to go after another bounty. He turned toward the Ultimate Champion's Belt, which was hanging in a display cushion on the wall. As he turned away, he heard something-a voice-in the belt say his name and laugh. He heard another voice repeat it a few seconds later. The air was starting to shimmer in streaks all around Falcon. Then...

"Look, I'm over here, Falcon!" Then _that_ voice laughed. He turned toward the belt. There was a light inside the jewel. It was laughing.

"Who are you?" asked Falcon, bewildered.

The first voice said, "We are the Creator..."

"What are you talking about?"

"We created the whole world," said the second voice.

"What a surprise that you'd beat Deathborn, who was our best creation," said the third voice.

"Your best creation?" said Falcon. He was still confused. But as the Creator laughed again, the answer hit him harder than the Black Bull going full speed.

"So it was you who set up everything...But why?"

The first voice replied, "To tell you the truth, there are no universal forces."

"What?" said Falcon. His hands were clenched into fists at this point.

The second voice said, "Now you hve become the Champion of the two Grand Prix..."

"...and we'll take out your soul from your body and turn it into our creation," finished the third voice.

As Falcon leaned in, three spirits burst forth from the belt. The spirit who had spoken last said,

"Are you ready?" The spirits started circling each other. Then they turned sharply inward, and where they came together, there was a technicolor spirit replica of the_ Blue Falcon_ in their place.

"Come off it!" exclaimed Falcon. "You think you can beat me? No way!" He jumped in the _Falcon_, and they were off. More than once, Falcon came close to falling off the track because it blended in so well with its surroundings, and there were no guardrails or laser walls. However, he got to know the track and eventually started catching up to the Staff Ghost. He passed it near the end of the race and pulled out the victory by a hair.

The Staff Ghost split back into the Creator Spirits, who phased completely out of existence, screaming, "NOOOOOO!" Falcon reemerged in his base, jumped out of the _Falcon_, took off his helmet, and placed it on a sidetable next to the _Falcon_. He then walked out of the base, reliving all that had happened in the past couple of weeks in his head. This would make an incredible story, and for whatever reason, he couldn't wait to share it with all his allies.

The End. Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
